CM Labs Simulations, developer of Vortex training simulators, has launched a new training pack for straddle carrier operators that allows trainees to rapidly acquire operational skills in a pressure-free, safe learning environment.

The Straddle Carrier Simulator Training Pack incorporates CM Labs’ Smart Training TechnologyTM— resulting in a training solution that delivers the most transferable operator skills anywhere, outside the real equipment. It is the only solution on the market that can tip when the simulated equipment is cornering too fast, and that reacts realistically when it drives over a pothole or when loads are distributed unevenly.

Smart Training Technology is comprised of CM Labs’ proprietary and patented algorithms, and includes real-time simulation features that are unique on the market. This means training is based on real data and real machines, and new operators reach full productivity levels up to 33% faster, according to CM Labs clients.

The solution makes training available 24/7 and in all weather. It can run in a classroom setting designed to meet new sanitizing and physical distancing requirements, and provides rapid operator readiness for operating challenges, including night-time operations and reduced visibility due to weather conditions such as fog, rain, or snow.

Smart Training Technology is comprised of CM Labs’ proprietary and patented algorithms, and includes real-time simulation features that are unique on the market.

The Straddle Carrier Simulator Training Pack tracks all operating performance metrics during training exercises, and rolls them up into a single score that updates in real time. Port terminals and training schools can customise this scoring system to highlight their most important standards, so that new operators can ramp up even faster.

Similarly, various characteristics of the simulated equipment can be adapted to match the specs of the yardside equipment already in use, including hoisting speed, travel speed, joystick sensitivity, and cabin position.

With a focus that goes far beyond basic controls familiarisation, the Straddle Carrier Simulator Training Pack exposes operators to conditions that are challenging or unsafe to replicate outside the classroom. When paired with CM Labs’ Instructor Operating Station (IOS), the training pack allows trainers to introduce specific challenges at any time, including overload or uneven load distribution, proximity to personnel, and potholes. The IOS can be installed at a distance from the simulators to comply with training hygiene requirements, or even in an adjacent room.

Along with the four driving exercises and pre-set container moving exercises that CM Labs has built in collaboration with port training programs, the training pack also delivers an Exercise Builder. This tool allows trainers to create and edit sequences of exercises with custom parameters including different container types (20-foot, 40-foot, twin-twenty, reefer, etc.), varying container origins and destinations (specific yard coordinates, under an STS, or on a truck), and more.

The Straddle Carrier Training Pack can run on any CM Labs ports equipment simulator, including the desktop Vortex Trainer, the motion-enabled Vortex Advantage, and the high-immersion Vortex Master. Thanks to their hot-swappable control capabilities, each simulator can run a full fleet of training packs following the full journey of cargo, including STS Crane, Ship Pedestal Crane, Forklift, Rubber-tyred Gantry, Mobile Harbour Crane, Reach Stacker, Empty Container Handler, and more.